The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday said people affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro may receive only a total payment of $284 million from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds.
“The maximum coverage for the oil spill based on the IOPC would only be up to 203 million SDR (special drawing rights) or in United States dollars it would be $284 million,” said Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said, during an interview with ANC.
Vasquez stressed the recoverable amount is pursuant to the Protocol of the International Convention for Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage where the Philippines is a state party.
According to the official, the IOPC has “some kind of mutual fund” that is “participated in by all maritime industry member states.”
“Everybody contributes and the fund would be the source of the payment for all the claims in respect to oil pollution,” he said.
The DOJ has been leading the inter-agency dialogue over the oil spill caused by MT Princess Empress which sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro last Feb. 28 after allegedly ignoring gale warnings.
The latest dialogue was held Tuesday, April 25, at the DOJ which was attended for the first time by IOPC Director Gaute Sivertsen. Vasquez noted there is an ongoing compensation caravan at the affected areas in Oriental Mindoro.
“They would then bring all these claims to the United Kingdom where the IOPC holds office for the vetting, assessment and verification of all the claims,” the DOJ official added.
Various national government agencies headed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) meanwhile have started drawing up a harmonized recovery plan for areas affected by the oil spill
The DENR spearheaded an activity held at its central office in Quezon City recently to coordinate the recovery plans of different national government agencies with the overall goal of addressing the oil spill’s intersecting impacts to the people, environment, tourism, and the local economy, a statement said.
In leading the inter-agency discussion, Evironment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said the recovery plan must be consistent with the “whole-of-government” approach espoused by the Marcos administration in responding to the oil spill disaster.
She said the recovery plan should “not only look at bouncing back, but bouncing forward” as it must guarantee resiliency of communities and ecosystems.
Other recommendations include the need to improve communication protocols to translate scientific information into clear, accurate, and simple information for the public; ensuring learning continuity vis-à-vis health status of learners and teachers; setting of specific indicators for normalcy for different sectors such as fisherfolk and tourists; and addressing mental health of affected individuals.
Other agencies represented were the Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Energy, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the Philippine Coast Guard. With Maricel V. Cruz